The Human League

Originally formed in 1977 in Sheffield, England by Philip Oakey, The Human League became one of the essential icons of the 80's New Wave scene. Their music has stood the test of time and has been wildly influential for many artists, including Robbie Williams, Ministry of Sound, Madonna and Moby.

They released their first single, Being Bolied, in 1978. Because "Being Boiled" was unique and oddly different than the music of that time, it saw limited airplay. In 1979 they released their first full length vinyl, an EP titled "The Dignity of Labour". Though the album was not very successful commercially and barely made it onto the charts, it did prove to be a success in its own right. The EP began to get the attention of major record labels. Richard Branson, CEO and founder of Virgin Records, made an impressive offer, which was quickly accepted.

In 1980, the band endured its first turmoil. Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, 2 of the founding members, decided to leave, stating irreconcilable differences as to the future musical direction of the band. Oakey retained the band's name, but at a very high price.

In an event that is now firmly embedded in popular folklore and regularly repeated by the media, Oakey and his then girlfriend went into Sheffield city centre on a Wednesday night with the intention of recruiting a single female backing vocalist. After looking in various venues, they visited the Crazy Daisy Nightclub on High Street where Oakey spotted two teenage girls dancing together on the dance floor. Susanne Sulley and Joanne Catherall were 17 year old schoolgirls on a night out together. Neither had any experience of singing or dancing professionally. With no preamble, Oakey asked both girls to join the tour as dancers and incidental vocalists. He states that when he found out their age and that they were best friends, he revised his plan for a single female and decided that the two girls could look after each other on the tour. Originally just wanting a single female singer to replace the high backing vocals originally provided by Martyn Ware, he says that he thought having two female vocalists/dancers would also add potential glamour to the band. Because of the girls' ages, Oakey and Wright later had to visit Sulley and Catherall’s respective parents to obtain permission for the girls to go the tour.

1981 marked the beginning of the bands most successful period, including the release of the multi-million selling ablum "Dare" and the 2X platinum selling single, "Dont You Want Me". Capitalizing on the singles huge success and "number one" status, "Being Boiled" was re-released in 1982 and quickly became a top 10 hit.

The Human League's work was now recognized on both sides of the Atlantic. In February 1983, the band was nominated for the Best New Artist award at the 25th annual Grammy Awards. The follow-up single, "(Keep Feeling) Fascination", was released in April 1983 and peaked at no.2 in the UK. The following months proved to be difficult ones for the band as they struggled to record a follow-up album to Dare under immense pressure from Virgin. A six song EP called Fascination! comprising of the singles "Mirror Man" and "Fascination" together with the new track "I Love You Too Much" was released from the original recording sessions for their new album, later to be named Hysteria. The EP was released in America as a stop-gap and also became a strong seller as an import in the UK.

Today

The Human League are currently unsigned to a record label and is run as a self-contained business with its own studio in Sheffield. Since late 1994 they have been managed by Simon Watson of Sidewinder Management.
The band continue playing live, with continuing appearances at music festivals worldwide at many of which they are among the headliners.
Although the subject of retirement is often brought up in interviews, Oakey, Sulley and Catherall have all stated that they still enjoy performing and intend to carry on for "as long as they are filling concerts and people want to see them". Sulley often jokes that she "has to carry on because she doesn’t know how to do anything else."
Oakey, Catherall, and Sulley have all stated separately that it is the intention for the band to release a tenth studio album "in the near future". However, no details or timescale have been given. On possible collaborations, Oakey stated on BBC TV News and to NME that "we have a lot of people that want to make records with us."

Don't You Want Me - 1981

(Keep Feeling) Fascination - 1983